The Way That I Am
by weddingpeach
Summary: After a decree from the Justice League, The Teen Titans, along with Titans East, are forced to go to highschool and hide their identities. They'll face drama, find friends and enemies, and even have romance along the way. Can the Teen Titans survive highschool?
1. Decree

It was a calm day at the Titan's tower. It was mid-July in Jump City, so temperatures were soaring and even the city had a lazy aura to it.

Starfire was sitting at the breakfast bar with Raven, flicking through a fashion magazine and excitedly pointing at the various outfits she saw, with Raven occasionally giving input.

"Jean skirts Raven! Oh, how glorious! I think the white one would go good with my floral cropped top." She held the magazine up and pointing at one skirt in the trio.

"Which one?" Raven asked, nursing a cup of tea and writing in a notebook. "Do you think a sigil of strength should have a spiral?"

"The white one, with the lowered sleeves and the red flowers. I think it should have more dashes. Is it not dependent on your personal aesthetic?"

"Hm. I think it'd look better with the yellow one, with the daisies. Maybe a spiral and dashes."

In the living room, Robin was on his laptop with a cup of coffee, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing a videogame.

"Oh you SUCK!" Beast Boy said angrily, bumping his shoulder into Cyborg's. "You are such a cheater!". The screen flashed with their favorite racing game, displaying a bright red "GAME OVER" on Beast Boy's side, and a bright yellow "WINNER" on Cyborg's.

"You're just mad that you're losing, and I'm WINNING." Cyborg said triumphantly, throwing his hands up in the air. "BOOYAH! Cyborg 5, Beastie 0! In your FACE." He began to do a victory dance, to the groans and fake cries of Beast Boy. Beast Boy had thrown his controller onto the couch, playing the role of an extremely sore loser.

Robin laughed at the victory dance, turning back to his laptop.

"Robin! Tell him we're having a rematch!" Beast Boy said, pleading. "I don't want to buy dinner tonight!" Beast Boy put on an extremely pouty face, holding his hands together against his chest and dropping to his knees.

"No." Robin said, shrugging. "You lost fair and square BB." Beast Boy now rested his head out the couch, making whining noises and tugging on Robin's laptop charger cord.

"Nooooo." Beast Boy said, crumpling to the floor and laying flat on his stomach.

"Is something the matter Beast Boy?" Starfire asked, looking up from her magazine. Raven looked up too, narrowing her eyes.

"Is it something you have to cry about, Beast Boy?" Raven asked, and Beast Boy sat up, nodding.

"It's terrible! I have to buy dinner!"

"Oh no, however will you cope." Raven said flatly, raising her eyebrows at him. "Is it that big of a deal?"

"Robin, perhaps you could calm Beast Boy? I was having such fun with Raven looking through the magazine for fashion, and he is being disruptive. Nothing offensive to you, Beast Boy." She flashed a well-placed pout to Robin, who gave her back a smile.

"It's no offense, Star." Cyborg said, still relishing in his victory. "I'm sorry Beastie, but you and I both said first to five, and we shook on it."

"You did." Raven said, and floated over to the living area with all of the take-out menus that resided on their countertop. Starfire came over too, resting her hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Cyborg." Robin said, rolling his eyes. "At least choose somewhere that we all like. No Min's Meat Emporium."

"No Min's- How dare you." Cyborg said in faux shock, but took the menus from Raven's hands. "Thanks Rae."

"I think that one Thai place, the Baguette Deli sounds so delicious." Starfire said, pointing out the menu.

"Ew, no." Beast Boy said, frowning. "No veggie options."

"Jump Fry Company?" Robin offered, and everyone nodded their heads in happily. Starfire and Beast Boy began to chatter excitedly, and Raven nodded along with them.

"Their double heat burger! I want 3 of them." Cyborg said, grabbing Robin's arm. "I could eat a whole small mountain of them. Two patties, two thick slices of cheddar cheese, their habanero relish? Godly."

"So we're in agreement?" Robin asked, and everyone nodded. "Fantastic, our usual orders are in the notebook Beast Boy. Order now and it'll get here by dinner."

"Oh! May I adjust mine?" Starfire asked, and walked to the kitchen with Beast Boy and Cyborg, leaving Raven and Robin. They both sat on the couch, listening to Starfire change what she wanted on her chicken sandwich 5 times, and Cyborg telling Beast Boy to ask for 6 mini-cups of relish on the side.

"Well, that was smooth." Raven said, and Robin agreed. "There was only a little fighting." They both chuckled, flicking through the T.V. channels. "Are you feeling like watching cable or Hulu or?"

"Hulu. I think I'm getting more invested into Secret Life of the American Teenager than Beast Boy and Starfire are." Robin remarked, getting up to grab the smart-remote to get onto Hulu.

"You know, I think I am too. Today's been so quiet." Raven remarked, using her powers to float a book over to her.

"You're right, today has really been calm." Robin said skeptically. He thought about the past few weeks, and distinctly remembers throwing multiple criminals into jail with the team. Practically all of them, excluding Jinx.

"Well," Robin thought, and he scrunched his face up before shaking his head. Wherever Jinx was, it was certainly a direct result of Wally's actions. "That was one less villain to fight though."

"We had a busy week, I'm sure we deserve some peace and quiet." Robin said. At that, the TV video call line began to ring.

"Who is it?" Starfire poked her head out of the kitchen, and Robin shrugged.

"We'll see." Robin pressed answer, and the face of Batman popped up.

"Batman." Robin said, and the rest of the Titans tensed. There was a silence, only broken by Beast Boy, who began saying the order.

"Robin. Raven. Nice to see you both." Batman said politely, and held eye contact with Robin. Robin started back, holding his gaze, before breaking away.

"Good. How are you and the other Titans?"

"We're- We're good." Robin said, scratching at his chin. "It's uh- hot in Jump, we're just waiting for dinner." Robin simply didn't know what to say to Batman.

"That's good. You guys- You deserve a break sometime." Batman said, nodding. "I have something to tell all of you."

"Thank you?" Robin said, feeling strange at Batman's compliment. Was it a compliment? Robin couldn't remember ever getting a compliment from Batman, only criticism and begrudged "good jobs" on occasion. Their relationship had been strained every since Robin had left Batman to forge his own path. His mind began to float away, and then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Uh, Robin. Are you even listening?" Beast Boy asked, waving his hand in front of his face. Starfire had a hand on his shoulder, and Cyborg and Raven looked at him concerned.

"I'm fine. Long night." He said simply, and looked back at Batman.

"Has he been sleeping?" Batman said, looking at the team. Beast Boy shrunk under his gaze, but Cyborg shrugged. Robin felt embarrassed that Batman hadn't even addressed him, and looked in his eyes.

"I'm fine. I sleep." Robin used an offhand tone, but under the gaze of his teammates and Batman, he felt like he was being scrutinized.

"Some of the times." Starfire piped up, and Robin heard the agreeing noises of his team. "Not last night. We had the police reports to look through, and he took the brunt of them."

"Listen, we don't need to discuss my sleeping habits. Highly inappropriate, Star." Robin said, and Starfire shrunk back, but nodded. "Is there a reason for this call, Batman?"

"Listen kids." Batman said, and let out a deep sigh. "The Flash and I were talking. Kid Flash manages school and crime fighting. Top of his class, in fact. The Justice League and I, we thought it would be best to enroll all of you in school."

"Oh!" Starfire said, and smiled jovially. "Real school?"

"Or online." Raven asked. While Starfire smiled, Raven frowned severely. Beast Boy patted her back, and Raven let out a sigh.

"Of course real school. Jump City High School. We thought that, if anything happens to any of you," Batman's tone got serious. "Anything that prevents you from being a hero, we decided that you have to have some form of education to fall back on."

"How are we even going to go? Everyone will know who we are!" Beast Boy said, and began to panic slightly. "They're gonna harass and bully-"

"BB, calm down!" Cyborg said. "I'm sure there's some way for our identities to stay secret. In fact, I have all of those holo-rings. We can just use those."

"Smart thinking." Batman said gruffly. "Alfred and I did create alternate identities for you. Some we used your real name, and others we made up an alias. Alfred is faxing over all of your cover stories. Memorise them by heart."

"When you say all, it makes me feel like there's more than just this team." Raven said.

"Three of your fellow Titans from Titans East will also be attending higher education. The other two will be in primary." Batman said.

"Like the same school?" Beast Boy asked, and smiled. "Alright! At least there's a silver lining you guys. We can all hang out." He could already imagine lunches with Speedy and Cyborg, how much fun he'd have. And how he and Aqualad could do swim team together and set aside their differences. And how Bumble and Raven would be so involved in their studies, and Starfire and Robin forming their high school romance. Maybe even Beast Boy getting his own romance with-

"No." Batman said. "If you hang out together, people will get suspicion. Teenagers that look like the Titans, all hanging out? You will make yourself targets for villains. I cannot let you do that. Secret identities are secrets." He pointed that last comment at Robin, who nodded. Beast Boy looked deflated, all of those thoughts being popped in mid air.

"Batman is right. I'm sure we can find more friends. In the end, we will always have each other. We can bring our comms to school, just in case." Robin announced, and easily slipped into the role of a leader.

"Hm." Batman said, and Robin couldn't tell whether he was impressed or not. "I think this is all you need to know, for now."

"Are we allowed to do the extracurriculars?" Starfire hopefully asked, holding her hands together and resting them against her left cheek. "Please? I promise it will not interfere with our fighting and patrolling!"

Batman and Robin sighed at the same time, but Batman relented.

"There is other cover stories for having to leave school- and extracurriculars- early." Batman said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What if the school calls our parents?" Beast Boy asked, frowning. "It's easy to say we have parents, but what if something happens?"

"The emergency numbers are connected to an advanced AI that will change depending on who is calling. All of you have specific living situations, and the AI will reflect that. Any more questions?"

"No, sir." Robin said. "I think we're fine. Have a good night."

"If there are, I want to be called." He said seriously. The call clicked out.

Robin sighed as Batman hung up. He heard the far off ding of the fax machine in the filing room, and let out a groan. He plopped himself down on the couch, grabbing a pillow and covering his face.

"So, high school." Cyborg said, sitting down next to Robin's head. Starfire sat down, staying relatively silent. "Big step up from the lessons we do."

"Those lessons are on a computer." Raven said, irritated. She stood by the couch's armrest that Starfire was sitting on. "What's the point of actually going, Cy? It's a waste of time."

"We have to learn the socializing." Starfire said, gesturing with her finger. "We're only ever together with each other. We need to learn how to be with other people."

"We don't need to argue." Robin said, taking the pillow off his face. "Listen, Batman is right. We can't be heroes forever. High school won't be hard for us. We're the Teen Titans."

"I agree." Beast Boy said. Everyone stared at him strangely. He stood still by the console for the T.V, and frowned. "We never got a chance to be normal humans, ever. We never got to do normal teenager stuff. I understand that it's hard having to transition, Rae. But think of it, you can be normal. We can all be normal. I don't have to be green, Star doesn't have to be a princess, Cyborg doesn't have to be half robot, Raven doesn't have to be half demon, and Robin doesn't have to be Batman's sidekick."

"Well I'm not really a sidekick anymore." Robin interjected, mumbling. Cyborg patted Robin on the cheek, making Robin scrunch up his face and bat his hand away. Starfire giggled, and Raven even managed a small smile.

"You're right, BB." Cyborg said. "This is like our new beginning. We can do stuff, be teenagers. It's not like we have villains to fight 24/7, the next time they break out will be after school starts."

"See." Beast Boy said proudly. "I can have good thoughts." The door comm rang, signalling that the food had arrived. Beast Boy groaned, suddenly losing his inspirational mood. "I'll get it."

Robin stood up, dusting off his clothes. "I'll go get the cover stories and profiles. Remember

what Batman said everyone. No sharing identities. Period." He retreated into the filing room, and Starfire squealed with joy.

"Oh! I never got to go to a school!" Starfire said happily, and flew up a bit, twirling around. "I can try out for the team of cheering and go to the games and-" She bumped her foot into Raven's head. She gasped, then floated down, hugging Raven. "I am so sorry!"

"Star!" Raven said, eyes flaring before she took a breath. "It's fine, it didn't hurt. Just- No hugging." Raven said finally, before Starfire let her go.

"I like the enthusiasm, Star." Cyborg said, "Maybe I'll do sports too. Jump City High has the best extracurriculars in the surrounding Tri-State area. What about you, Raven?"

"Hm." She said, leaning against the couch's armrest. "I'm not sure. I did- I really like writing. Maybe I can join a writing club, or tutor."

"See Raven! You would also do well in the club of drama!" Starfire said, smiling. Beast Boy walked back into the room with the bags of food, just as Robin walked back from the filing room.

"Foods here!"

"And cover stories."

They all sat and ate at the breakfast bar, with Starfire and Beast Boy leaning against the counter and Raven, Robin, and Cyborg sitting. They joked and laughed, and even discussed school.

"I would love to do drama club." Beast Boy said, with a dreamy expression on his face. "Imagine me, reenacting one of the best plays and musicals ever written."

"The Cats?" Starfire asked, and Beastboy shook his head.

"Rent?"

"Hadestown?"

"No! Urinetown."

"That is so NASTY Beast Boy!" Cyborg said, frowning. "You know we got lemonades."

"I'm just joking, guys!" He said, laughing. He got pelted with fries, tater tots, and even napkins. "I'm unappreciated in my time." Everyone else began laughing, and eventually finished their food.

"I am stuffed." Cyborg said, and looked through the paper stack for one with his name.

"Already stapled them."

Cyborg grabbed the one that said CONFIDENTIAL on the top, along with CYBORG. "Goodnight everyone, are we still going school supply shopping tomorrow?"

"We'll see what classes we have." Raven said, picking at the last of her poutine. She pushed it away, and stood up, grabbing hers and Cyborg's garbage. "Thank you for dinner Beast Boy."

"You're welcome Rae." Beast Boy gave her a large smile, and Raven drew her hood up, hiding her blush.

"I'll be in my room." She grabbed her file and retreated to her bedroom; opting to stalk the dark halls rather than teleport. She opened her door, sat on her bed, and opened her file.

It began with her new name, age, grade level, and other things that were on her "personal file". Now, she was Rachel Roth, a 16 year old junior at Jump City High. She had previously attended online school, and lived with her single mother, Angela Roth. Her father was deceased, and her mother worked as a receptionist for Wayne Industries in Gotham.

Raven nodded, agreeing with the grades all on the next page. They were pulled directly from the lessons that the Titans did weekly. She then turned to the next page, with 10 different cover stories. Raven flicked through them, shrugging her shoulders. She had 3 weeks left to memorize them.

Beast Boy stared at the mirror in his relatively clean room. He kicked away a dirty t-shirt, breathed in deep, and tried to act casual.

"I'm Garfield Logan." He said in a deep voice, before groaning and face-palming. There was absolutely no way he would be able to introduce himself to any of the cute girls that resided at Jump High.

"Be natural, Gar." He told himself. "Teachers will have you do all kinds of ice breakers." He took another deep breath, stared in the mirror, and gave a toothy smile.

"I'm Garfield Logan, my favorite color is purple, my favorite animal is a gorilla, my parents are-" He paused, looking for his cover stories on his bed. "They work in Africa for Wayne Enterprises, for bio-med. I live with my grandfather."

Starfire laid on her bed, scrolling through her personalized closet inventory on her UPhone. She had taken photos of all of her clothes and organized them into different folders, making it easier to plan out outfits.

She decided for the first day of school, she'd wear the white jean skirt she had just ordered and a floral tank top, along with her brown strapped sandals.

Her cover story and background laid on her bed, and she excitedly repeated simple facts about her alias.

"I am Kori Anders, I'm a junior at Jump City High. I'm from New Zealand, I live with my older sister and younger brother and occasionally my parents. My mother and father are expats in Indonesia for work. My sister goes to Central City University, and my brother is a 7th grader at Jump Central Junior High." She squealed, and began to pick out more outfits. Silkie snuggled against her legs, and she absentmindedly pet him, deciding between a white romper and jean jacket or a red tube top and black jeans.

Starfire was happy. School was going to be one of the best things to have happened to her.

Robin was significantly less happy. He could have been examining reports, or even patrolled to clear his head, but instead, he was video-chatting with Kid Flash.

"C'mon Dick, school is sooooo much fun!"

"I feel like you're being sarcastic." Robin said dryly, rolling his eyes.

"It is! In fact, I might even be transferring to your school to keep you company, Dickie-boy!" Kid Flash said, briefly popping his head off screen.

"Wallace West, you better not." Robin said angrily, and Kid Flash popped back into frame, a large smile on his freckled face.

"I will! Don't worry about it, Dick. I'll keep you company." Kid Flash said, smiling. "In fact, I might even stay in Jump for the year."

"Why would you even do that." Robin said, rolling over on his bed to his bedside drawer to retrieve the stash of licorice he hid there. He opened a fresh pack, staring at Kid Flash's love struck face.

"Absolutely noooo particular reason, Dickie. I'll come with you tomorrow to get school supplies! But right now," Kid Flash said, holding a fresh rose and smiling. "I have business to attend to. See ya, Dickie!"

"Goodnight, Wallace." Robin said flatly, throwing his phone on the other side of his bed and shoving his face in his pillow.

Cyborg tinkered with his old Stone holo-ring, trying to find a better persona that didn't look too much like Stone, but more like Victor.

He stared at the photo of his mother and father, nodding before turning back to his computer screen.

"Eyes like mom- maybe a close crop rather than bald. Make my nose crooked from being broken, fits my cover story." According to Victor Salis-Norilee's backstory, he used to play varsity football for all 3 years of high-school before his senior year. An injury would be normal.

"Salis-Norilee." Cyborg said, and gave a dry chuckle.


	2. Back to School Shopping

Starfire yawned tiredly, opening her door to exit her room. She wore a simple white pajama set, shorts and a tank top, with strawberries on it. She stepped out into the hall, barefooted, and walked down to Raven's bedroom.

"Hello? Raven? I would like to do the girl talk with you." She knocked nervously, and saw the door slide open in front of her.

"Come in Star." Raven said, sitting in the middle of her bed, she was reading a thick tome, in a black sweater and grey shorts.

"Oh Raven." Starfire said, flopping on the bed next to her. "I am so excited for the school, but so nervous! I feel like there are the moths in my stomach!"

"I can tell you're nervous." Raven said, flicking the page. "I don't feel good about school either, Starfire." She said hesitantly, and took a deep breath. Raven had to be more open with her friends, especially Starfire. "I just want to fit in there."

"Oh I know Raven!" Starfire said, rolling over onto her stomach. "What will I do without you and the boys? What if I need the advice during school? I think I might just fail." She put her head in her hands, mock sniffling.

"Star." Raven said, rolling her eyes. "You are a princess, superhero, and a brand model for how many stores? You can handle yourself. If you need advice during school, then just comm me, that's what they're for. Maybe I can't help you in person, but at least I can over the comm."

"Thank you Raven!" Starfire said, smiling. "You are so intelligent. You are always right there for me. You are a splendid friend!" Raven laughed, along with Starfire. "Oh, I also came to ask you a question."

"What kind?" Raven closed her tome, sitting up.

"May you help me look up the schools website? I want to find when the tryouts for cheerleading are." Starfire said, rolling off of the bed. "Look, I have been practicing my kicks and splits!"

Starfire stood straight, doing a high kick on her right leg. Raven nodded, grabbing the WacBook from her bedside table. Starfire then did a toe-touch, and upon landing, did a cartwheel, and then a back handspring.

"Woah Star, chill out, my room isn't that big." Raven deadpanned, and felt a slight sting when Starfire frowned. "I still think you did really good, you're super flexible, but all of those artifacts that you were about to knock over come from a whole other realm."

"Oh, my apologies, Raven." Starfire said, and sat on the floor, stretching. "I'm just so excited!" Raven pulled up the school's homepage, before Robin comm'd them both.

"Good morning Robin." Starfire said happily, "I am in Raven's room."

"Good morning Star, Rae." Robin said unhappily, as there were clatters in the kitchen.

"What's wrong?"

"Kid Flash is here to do school shopping with us." Robin rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I managed to protect breakfast until now, but I can't promise that your food will still be here."

"We'll be right there." Starfire said, and hung up, turning to Raven.

"Tryouts are in 5 days." She said. "I'll print out this form for you, forge your 'parent' signature. There's a grade transcript on your cover, just photocopy that."

"Thank you Raven!" Starfire said cheerfully, and squealed. "I am so excited!"

"I can tell." She said, standing up from her bed. She cracked the bones in her neck and wrists, and moved to her closet. "I have to change."

"Oh! Understandable." Starfire said, exiting the room. She carefully walked to her bedroom, giggling the whole way.

"Me! Starfire! A cheerleader!" She said, and spun, floating in the air a bit. It was a dream come true for Starfire to become a cheerleader, to go to all of the football and basketball games, cheer for the handsome boys and beautiful girls, and being popular in school!

"Hey Star." Beast Boy said, shaking her from her thoughts. He walked out of his room in a casual pair of black jeans ripped at the left knee, whether for style or accident, and a purple shirt. He had two pairs of shoes in both hands.

"Hello Beast Boy! I like your outfit. What is with the shoes?"

"I actually can't decide which to wear." He said simply, and showed her both. "See, I could wear my black high top Bans, but I could also wear my purple Nike."

"Wear the Bans." She said, and floated into her room, keeping her door open.

"What's up with you Star." He asked, and Starfire went through her closet, picking out a pair of white jeans and a yellow off the shoulder top.

"I'm just the nervous." She said, and plugged in her curler at her vanity. "For school. I want to try out for the cheerleading."

"Oh, you should Star!" Beast Boy said, and sat on her bed, keeping his feet as far from the sheets as possible, and started to pet a sleeping Silkie. "I was going to try out for swim team."

"Why not football?" She asked, and Beast Boy laughed.

"Star, I'm definitely not big enough to do football. Now Cy? I'm going to bet that he will do football, and we'll all know who he is immediately."

"That's not allowed." Starfire said, frowning. Beast Boy shrugged.

"I'm just kidding Star, but knowing all of us, Speedy and Bumblebee and Rae and Cy and Robin and you and Aqualad and probably Kid Flash, we'll all figure it out sooner than later. I'm not saying we'll do it on purpose, but if I hear Boo-yah in the lunchroom or see a girl kick some creeps ass, then I'll know it's Bee and Cyborg."

"I thought you meant doing it on the purpose." She said, and laid out all of her makeup. She went to her closet again, grabbing 4 different belts. "Which?"

"Man, you'll have to ask Rae. Tan one I guess." He stood, patting Starfire on the back. "I'm nervous too, but excited."

"I am excited also, Beast Boy." She smiled, and Beast Boy did too. "You're always like the crazy younger brother, much like my brother." She dropped her smile a bit, but took in a deep breath. "But thank you for taking my mind off of it for a bit. I will be looking for you." She joked, and he laughed.

"I think you'll be the most obvious. Maybe Speedy or Kid Flash after you." He said, and stepped out of the room. "I'll try to save you a waffle."

Beast Boy wandered the halls of the tower as a tiger, a bear, and a chicken, trying to get his mind off of school. No, School. That's how it felt in his mind, so important it needed a capital S. He hadn't been in a school in forever, his parents homeschooled him, and he learned from their work friends too. He sighed, turning into a goat as he trotted into the living room.

_"School. Exciting. But I might have to pee my pants. Not like- Because I have to pee! Ugh, why do I have to be so weird all of the time!" _Beast Boy thought, breying as a goat in frustration.

"Why is he doing that." Kid Flash asked, on his 6th bowl of cereal. He was wearing a bright yellow shirt, light blue skinny jeans, and a pair of white running shoes. "You look just like this goat I saw in Baghdad. Beautiful place, hot girls-"

"He does it when he has to think." Raven cut him off, levitating while drinking tea and reading a book. She wore black skinny jeans, a spiky black belt, and a navy blue long sleeve shirt tucked in.

"What are you thinking about, Beast Boy?" The goat let out another brey that sounded distressed, and Kid Flash thought. _"I've never seen Beast Boy like this. Maybe he just needs to smile."_

"I've been doing lots of thinking too." Kid Flash said cockily, putting his hands on his hips. "I think that I am going to propose to Starfire when she walks out here." Kid Flash said, bending down next to him. The goat disappeared, and Beast Boy appeared, laughing.

"You will not." Robin said, looking up from his Upad and almost spitting out coffee. "She doesn't want to be engaged to you!" He gripped his Upad harshly, almost cracking the glads.

"Who says?" Kid Flash gave Robin a sly grin, and Robin's face turned bright red, like a tomato.

Cyborg laughed from the oven, making a small town's worth tray of pancakes. "Give him a chance, Robin."

"He looks like he's going to bust a vein, huh Rae." Beast Boy said, pointing at his face near Robin's forehead. Raven gave a small smile.

"You're lucky he's in that leather jacket, Kid. If he got coffee on his Calvin Klein shirt, we would've all been kicked off of the Titans." Cyborg quipped, and Robin stood up, frowning.

"There's only one way to solve this problem, Kid."

"Oh, I know." They had a standoff, and Robin raised his fist in a fighting position. Kid Flash smirked, raising his hand too. They began to circle each other, both with mocking expressions.

"Good morning everyone!" Starfire said, stepping out into the kitchen. She walked to the breakfast bar, leaning next to where Beast Boy was sitting. The childhood friends that were about to battle paused, and Kid Flash took advantage of Robin fawning over Starfire.

"Hello beautiful!" Kid Flash said, speeding next to her and wiggling his eyebrows. Robin groaned in anger, stomping over to them.

"Hey Star." Robin said, composing himself. "Is that the shirt I got you for your birthday?" He asked, reaching for his coffee mug.

"Oh yes! I rather like it. It's one of the outfits that Bumblebee and Raven and I put together."

"It's cute." Cyborg said, bringing over a large platter of waffles. "So, for the mall, I was thinking about going to Pac-Sun."

"I love that store." Starfire said, ripping her waffle into pieces. She hummed happily, getting the syrup from Raven.

"Only if we can go to Urban." Raven said, cutting into her waffle and using her magic to hold up her tea cup. "They have a sale and I have 20% off from the time I accidently promoted their brand."

"Now how did you do that?" Kid Flash asked, and she shrugged, pointing at one of the many photos on the wall.

"During a press meeting while we were in civvies, I wore a choker from there. Now it's their best seller." She said simply, returning to her book.

The Titans all ate, with Kid Flash taking a large majority of the waffles that were made. They chatted lightly, but mostly focused on the sweet, fluffy food. Starfire was on her U-Phone, scrolling through clothing, Raven was reading, Cyborg and Beast Boy talked about the merits of making Beast Boy a Beast-Cycle, and Robin and Kid Flash bickering.

"Are you guys done?" Cyborg asked, grabbing his plate. Everyone nodded, and Robin stood up, grabbing his plate and Starfire's.

"I think because Kid Flash ate most of the waffles, he should do the dishes." Robin suggested, holding the places out to him.

"I think that you suck, Robin." Kid Flash said, teasingly. "Just kidding, I love ya. I'll be done in a flash!"

Kid Flash quickly did the dishes without complaint, then headed to where the team was standing by the door, discussing how they'd all fit in the T-Car.

"I can just run there. I don't want to take a seat away from a pretty girl." He winked at Starfire, and prompted a giggle from her. Robin fumed, taking a deep breath.

"We can all fit, I can put a seat in the middle of the front. It will be cramped, but we won't get a ticket." Cyborg offered, and the rest of the teens nodded, beginning to walk to the car.

After an agonizing car ride with both Kid Flash and Robin arguing in the front seat, Starfire and Beast Boy singing offkey, and Cyborg missing almost every turn, they arrived at the mall.

_"I can't believe I drove that bad."_ Cyborg thought, placing the car keys into Starfire's purse. _"This school thing has me way more off than I thought I'd been. Be cool Victor. Get those clothes you wanted. Be cool."_ He took a deep breath, catching up with the group.

"I think that Raven and I should go, and you boys can go." Starfire suggested, and Raven nodded. "We wanted to go to Elizabeth's Rumor."

"I see." Beast Boy teased, and Raven smacked him upside the head. Robin gave all of them a glance, and the group began to settle down.

"Act normal please." Robin said, adjusting his white t-shirt and blue jeans. He exuded poster boy confidence, which had carried over from being Dick Grayson.

People, upon spotting the Titans, ran over to them. Begging for autographs, pictures, and other things, much to Kid Flash's delight as he posed for pictures with cute girls kissing his cheek.

"Oh Dick." Kid Flash whispered in Robin's ear, smiling. "This is heaven."

"Shut up Wally." Robin said, turning to sign another autograph. "You're welcome." He told the young boy, giving him a firm handshake.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were showing off their abilities, with Cyborg showing off his transforming hand in action. Beast Boy turned into a rabbit, bouncing around for children. Meanwhile, Starfire was happily taking photos, both with teenage boys and girls. Raven signed the spellbooks of many goth kids, actually giving a soft smile to a young girl.

"Hey! I'm sorry, but we all really want to get to our shopping." Robin said with a smile, standing on a bench. "Thank you all so much for your support. As long as Jump City has kind, respectful citizens like all of you, we will continue to protect you!" The crowd cheered, and began to disperse, and Raven let out a deep breath.

"I love the fans." She deadpanned. "I hate signing autographs."

The group split, promising to reconvene at 3pm to get food and then go home. Raven and Starfire walked off happily, with Raven checking her Uphone.

"What's your limit." Raven asked, showing Starfire her screen. "I don't want to spend too much, I already have enough clothes. I want a bag and some shoes." She said thoughtfully. "Maybe gym clothes? I have PE."

"Me also." Starfire said, checking her phone. "I have around 600 dollars in my checking account. Savings I have quite a bit." She giggled, showing Raven her screen. "I think I will spend a few hundred. I need to get wintery clothing."

"It won't get cold till November."

"I know, but better now than later!" Starfire said, floating over to the nearest store. "Here, Urban!" The pair wandered into the store, smiling happily.

Meanwhile, the group of boys had ended up in the Nike Factory, and Beast Boy and Kid Flash grabbed over 6 pairs of shoes to try on.

"That's overkill." Cyborg said, looking through the pants rack. _"If I want to look cool, like I belong, I don't want to try too hard. God knows no one likes a try hard." _He mused, and pulled out a few pairs of track pants.

"I like the black ones." Robin said, looking for shoes also. "See if they have them in my size." He asked, pulling out a pair of black and red running shoes. He nodded at them, placing them back in the box and carrying it to a seat.

"I like these ones." Kid Flash said, standing. "I have to get a few pairs in case I accidently burn through them." He ran in place, and whooped. "Perfect fit!" They were tan, with a white gel heel.

The group continued to talk and shop, finally grabbing everything they wanted. Cyborg led them to the check out, placing 3 shoe boxes, 6 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, and a windbreaker on the first register.

The girl checking them out was Indian, with long black hair, an eyebrow piercing, and dramatic eyelashes on. Cyborg smiled at her, pulling out his wallet. "Did you find everything you were looking for?" She smiled, scanning his items.

"Yes I did. You guys have great deals going on now." The girl laughed, bagging his shoes.

"I know, with my employee discount, I got a pair of Deluxe Air Force Ones for 50 dollars." She typed something into the computer, and scanned the last item. "Your total is $343.60. Cash or card?"

"Card." Cyborg said, scanning the chip.

After he paid, Kid Flash came after him. Robin and Beast Boy had moved to a different check stand, with Beast Boy flirting with the cashier and Robin looking embarrassed.

"Did you find everything alright?" She said, scanning all 20 of Kid Flash's items. Kid Flash blushed under his mask, staring at the girl. _"She looks so so familiar. So beautiful. Who does she remind me of?"_

Kid Flash licked his dry lips, clearing his throat. "Uh- Yeah!" He quickly said. "I really like your eyebrow ring." She looked surprised, and smiled at him. However, her smile looked a little forced.

"Thank you! I just got it done." She said, and continued to scan, checking the shoe boxes. "This is just courtesy, I know you wouldn't steal." She said, in a teasing tone, and Kid Flash looked at her, taken aback.

"Well, I am known to steal hearts." He said, and she giggled lightly. He saw Beast Boy, Robin, and Cyborg by the entrance to the store, and waved them off. "So what's your name?"

"Jenil. Jenil Lakhani." She said, and leaned over the counter. She had finished scanning and bagging, but the lack of customers in the store made Kid Flash glad.

"Beautiful name." He said, and took her hand and kissed it. "I hope I'll see you again soon, Jenil." He charmed, and pulled out his wallet.

"Oh- Uh. Your total is 427. Cash or card?" Jenil asked, fighting the blush that rose on her face. Kid Flash swiped his card quickly, placing his card back into his wallet and grabbed his bag.

"Have a lovely day." He said, and she smiled.

"Right back at you." She said, and immediately ran off from her checking counter. She caught a coworker in the break room, and she barked at him. "Dude. I have my break, you're off. Checkout 2." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Jenil, you're so anal all the time." He muttered, finishing off his coke and tossing it in the trash. Jenil pushed open the door of the bathroom, practically dry heaving.

_"Oh Goddess."_ Jenil thought, shoving into a stall, immediately forgetting all of the teasing her and Kid Flash just did. She began to breath heavily, and leaned against the wall. "Kid Flash is going to be the death of me." She closed her eyes, and rubbed at them with now ashy gray hands. She ran her hands through her pink, wavy hair, groaning loudly. "Kid Flash knows my civilian name. Damn it!"

Jinx groaned again, banging her head lightly against the stall door._ "And it doesn't help that school is starting soon. Cheer tryouts are 5 days. I'm going to have a heart attack." _She took a deep breath, peeking her head out of the stall to check the clock.

"Ok Jinx." She said aloud to herself, and smiled. "You are fine. Kid Flash doesn't go to school. You're peachy. Don't have to think about him for a long while. He's probably already back in Central City."

_"And away from you."_ The voice in her head quipped, and Jinx smacked her head. "Go away. You aren't wanted." She said, and rolled her eyes at herself. _"Good Goddess,"_ She thought, _"I'm going insane thanks to Kid Flash!" _She groaned again, before taking another deep breath. She mumbled a few words under her breath, and her Jinx-ness went away, replaced by Jenil.

"I'm Jenil. I'm a good kid." Jinx cringed at that, but relented. "I'm the chance that Jinx never got. I am her but better. I'm what Jinx wants to be." Jenil blinked three times, cursing her fake eyelashes.

She glanced at the clock again, smiling. There was still time in her break to go to the food court and get a smoothie. She made sure that she looked fine, adjusting her belt and pushing her hair out of her face. Her black hair was long and thick, her nose sat prettily on her face, her eyes were dark and lustrous. There was no complaining about how she made Jenil look.

She pushed the door open again and crept out of the restroom, out of the break room, and out of the store.

Starfire and Raven had exited their 5th store, arms weighed down by multiple bags. They were both rapidly talking, excited and Starfire had been slightly floating, giggling in between words.

"Oh Raven." Starfire said happily, "I think we might be the best dressed at the school." She flaunted all 15 of her bags, and Raven nodded, with her more modest 8 bags.

"We did get some cute stuff. C'mon, let's head to the food court." Raven said, and the pair had wandered off, smiling and joyfully laughing.


	3. Tryouts

Starfire stared into the mirror in her bedroom. She sighed, twisting off her holo-ring. She moved back to the computer, humming as she began to type. Starfire blew a strand of hair out of her face, pausing to check her work.

Cyborg had created an easy to use program for the holo-rings. It had a 3D model that looked like Starfire to the left, and to the right, traits that she could input to change her look. It could give freckles, change hair length, even change facial features!

Starfire decided on freckles, tan skin, and light green eyes. She had looked like the many swimsuit models she adored. The hair was a different topic. She wanted long, but not as long as her hair naturally was. She wanted a light color, but also bright. She stopped typing, pondering her options.

She flicked through her favorite magazines, stopping at a certain model. "Strawberry blonde hair!" She said triumphantly, and typed that in. "By X'hal!" She looked smugly at her model, smiling. She placed the ring back on, and stared at the mirror.

She looked like a normal girl! Starfire squealed, turning in front of the mirror. She waved, and covered her mouth, jumping up and down. She did love how she looked normally, but this? This was what she needed!

She was a healthy tan, with freckles dotting her cheeks, collar bones, and even her hands! They are evenly dispersed, but still looked natural. Her eyes were a green that was as light as her sclera normally, and she had thick eyelashes that fanned out very doe-ish. Her hair matched perfectly, and she couldn't help but have the world's biggest smile. Her hair was shorter, but still ended around her mid back.

She checked the clock. It was 9pm, and cheer tryouts were from 7am to 3pm the next day. Starfire checked over the bag she packed, with water, granola bars, and her tryout packet. She already laid out a pair of Nike spandex, white tennis shoes, and a loose light pink tank top, with a black sports bra underneath.

She stared at herself one more time, then took the ring off, gently placing it on her night stand next to her bed. She smiled, flopped on her bed, and snuggled Silkie.

The next morning, Starfire awoke at 5am, stretching and yawning. She went straight to the shower to wake herself up, using all of the hot water and blasting Katy Perry to sing along with.

She stepped out of the shower, quickly dressing in her pajamas again. She walked out of her room, crepeing to the kitchen to get breakfast. She stopped, hiding behind a corner when she heard Raven float by with her tea. After she had successfully reached the kitchen, grabbing her breakfast, and turning on the coffee maker for Robin and Cyborg, who would be awake soon after she left, she crept back to her bedroom.

Starfire sat in her bedroom, eating an apple with yogurt and laying on her bed in a middle split position. She felt so nervous, waiting for her hair to dry a little more and truly being scared of putting on her holo-ring. She'd decided she'd wait, get dressed, go behind an alley, and walk to the school. She finished her breakfast quickly, scrolling through her Instabook feed on the cheerleader tag.

Oh, Starfire couldn't wait until she could be a cheerleader! To date a football player, organize homecoming, be best friends with her squad members, be one of the most popular girls in school! It would be so much like the movies that she watched with Raven and Beast Boy!

Starfire finally got up, drying off her hair, and stretched again, getting ready to get dressed.

It all was going to work out perfectly.

The next half hour was a blur to Starfire. She had landed in an alley beside a cafe, and slipped on her holo ring, finally becoming Kori. Kori began to walk to the school, a simple 5 minutes away.

"Hey! Blondie." A voice called out, and Kori saw an Indian girl behind her, lightly jogging to catch up. She wore a pink dance top and black Nike shorts, with white shoes. She had her long thick black hair back into a braided ponytail, and very minimal makeup on.

"Oh! Did I drop something?" Kori asked, looking behind her and feeling in her bag for her Uphone. The girl laughed, shaking her head.

"Definitely not. I just don't want to walk alone. Are you going for spirit squad tryouts?"

"Yes. Are you?" Kori asked, and the girl quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Obviously. I'm Jenil Lakhani, what's your name?"

"Kori. Kori Anders. Is this your first tryout?"

"No. This is my 3rd year doing spirit squad." Jenil said easily, and fondly remembered being both Jinx and Jenil a few years prior, scamming her way into Jump City High. She, however, earned her place on the spirit squad team, unlike some girls. "Are you new? Like, to the school?"

"Yes, I'm from New Zealand. I live with my sister and brother, we just moved a few months ago." Kori said thoughtfully, absorbing her persona easily. "Can you tell me about spirit squad? I thought it was cheerleading?"

"Oh no, spirit squad is the new name. The varsity team does mostly cheering, but we do dance along with pom routines. We do poms and dance at all of the football and basketball games, and we 'rowdy' at soccer, baseball, and volleyball. That's why we're called spirit squad." Jenil kicked a rock, hitting a trash can. Kori kicked one too, making it go much farther and hitting a pole. Jenil raised her eyebrows, smirking at Kori, who let out a light laugh.

"What is a rowdy?" Kori said confusedly, and cursed herself. She should have done more research, her Starfire-ness was showing through. How embarrassing! She was just about to take back what she said, when Jenil spoke up.

"I didn't think you'd know it, I'm so sure that the Jump City Jaguars are the only ones who call it that. We just go in our casual uniforms and do cheers sitting down. We also lead the school alma mater when the game is over." Jenil said, and frowned when she saw Kori's facial expression, downcast eyes and a gloomy pout.

"Do you feel bad for not knowing what a rowdy is?" Jenil asked bluntly, and Kori sighed, shaking her head. Jenil felt her brain scowl, and alarms blaring at showing sympathy. "Shut up." Jenil thought, "I'm better than you." She told her Jinx part of her brain, and fought the urge to shake her head.

"I shouldn't be exposing my feelings so easily. But Jenil… She sounds so trustworthy." Kori thought, and looked up at the Indian girl, who still held a frown on her face.

"Yes, I do feel bad." Kori said, and her thoughts began to fly around her. "I have… not been in the country long. My ignorance simply seems to grow every day." Kori felt tears well in her eyes. "Crying over something so stupid! Starfire, what is wrong with you?" She thought, and wiped her tears a little. Starfire should've known, she never could fit in as Kori.

"Hey." Jenil said awkwardly, and very tentatively patted Kori's back. "Don't cry." Jinx winced inside as she felt how painfully awful she was at the whole touchy feels stuff. "Listen. I know it's hard adapting to a new country. I went through it too when I was younger. There was no use in crying then, and there is no use in crying now. You'll understand soon." She said with an air of finality, and Kori sniffled, looking down at Jenil.

"T-Thank you." Kori said, wiping her eyes again. Jenil smiled, then checked her watch, making a shocked noise.

"It's 6:35! I don't want to be late and I'm sure you don't want to be either." They began to pick up the pace, and the rest of the light jog consisted of small talk and chatter about the school year. They finally arrived at the school, and Kori marvelled at it. Of course she'd seen it before, but it was huge! There was a large statue of the school mascot, the Jaguar, and three women at a large table, blocking the gym.

"Oh Jenil!" The blonde woman in the middle said, and gave her a beaming smile. "I'm so glad you're trying out again!" Jenil smiled back, handing the woman her packet. Kori felt awkward and nervous, and dug in her bag for her packet.

"And who are you?" The woman said to Kori, and she smiled nervously, handing the woman her packet.

"Kori Anders, ma'am." The woman checked over her packet, and the redhead next to her printed out two stickers, straightening them out.

"Don't call me ma'am sweetie! I'm Mrs. Cloche. And I'll be your varsity cheer coach." The woman winked at Kori, who felt excitement in the pit of her stomach. Jenil smiled, and chose to interject.

"Oh, trust me Coach, she's going to be a great fit for the team!" Jenil said, and leaned forward, whispering conspiritally to Mrs. Cloche and the two women next to her.

At that time, another girl walked in, accidentally bumping into Kori. Kori winced as she stomped on her foot, and the girl looked shocked, grabbing Kori's shoulder and immediately apologizing.

"I'm really sorry!" The girl said, smacking her forehead. "I wasn't looking where I was going." The girl was African American, with large brown eyes and her thick curly hair put back into one large bun.

"No, it's okay." Kori said with a smile, and grabbed the girl's bag that she dropped. "I am Kori Anders, what's your name?"

"Karen Beecher." The girl said proudly, and Kori couldn't help but feel empowered simply by standing next to her. The girl handed her packet to Mrs. Cloche, who Jenil was still standing by.

"So, Karen, is this your first year doing some kind of cheer or spirit squad team?"

"No ma'am! I used to be captain at my old school, and I used to dance competitively." Karen said, and Mrs. Cloche smiled at her, and the redhead woman handed her the sticker with her number on it.

"Alright, tryouts are in groups of three, numerical order! You'll learn more once they start." Mrs. Cloche smiled, and pointed over to the gym opening, which was wide open.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cloche." Kori said, and began to walk with Jenil. Karen caught up with them, comparing numbers.

"I'm 28." Jenil said, and Kori beamed at her.

"I'm 29!"

"And I'm 30." Karen said, and the three girls all glanced at eat other, not as competitors, but as potential friends. "So, Kori, Jenil, nice to meet you two."

"It's nice to meet you too." Kori said, and when they entered the gym, placed her bag down, and the two girls followed. They saw 9 other groups of girls stretching, kicking, and leaping. Jenil snorted.

"Not to be- like- rude." She said, beginning to stretch out her legs, "But some of these girls can barely do a high kick. I'm sure the Junior Varsity team will get bigger this year."

Karen laughed, and Kori hid her smile by her hand, Jenil glanced up at the two. "What's so funny?"

"You know, looking around-" Karen said, and smirked, "My chances of joining the team seemed to skyrocket." Jenil let out of a full bodied laugh.

"Of course they did. I hope you both know that Varsity only lets 16 girls on the team. And 9 senior girls left last season." She went into her left split, bending her back.

Karen, not wanting to be upstaged, began to do back bends, preparing to start doing round outs. Kori stared at all of the girls, both the ones who were insanely flexible, and the ones who couldn't even manage a cartwheel. She smiled widely, not out of rudeness, but possibilities!

"C'mon lazy bones." Karen said to Kori, who still stood doing nothing. "Do something, put yourself to work girl!" Kori nodded, and lifted her leg over her head, earning a whoop from Jenil.

"You are definitely stunt material." Jenil said, sitting cross legged and stretching her neck. "Ok, so…" The two other girls, sensing a secret, moved closer, Kori moving down to the floor and stretching her legs, and Karen staying in her back bend, facing the two girls.

"First, we learn a dance and two cheer with poms. We perform as our groups of 3 and as a whole group." Jenil said, leaning in closer. "After 11am, they cut the girls that are not good. Then, they seperate us into Varsity and Junior Varsity. After that, we do team bonding." Jenil said, and Kori frowned, cocking her head at Jenil.

"They cut girls in front of everyone?" Jenil nodded, shrugging her shoulders, and Kori's eyes opened in horror, her body shuddering. Karen patted her back, and Jenil gave her a sincere smile.

"You'll be fine, blondie." Jenil said, and the clock struck 7am, and Mrs. Cloche and the two other women stood in front of the girls, and Kori could count 5 other groups of three that just arrived. All together, Kori though, there were 45 of them.

"Oh X'hal! So many girls. I'm going to puke." Kori said, and Karen helped her stand up, learning forward to her ear. "Listen Kori. I know we just met, but you'll kick ass. Promise."

"Hi girls! I'm Mrs. Cloche, as most of you already know." The head coach said, smiling. "I coach Varsity. Varsity Spirit Squad, or our Jaguarettes, does dances, pom routines, and cheers at every varsity football and basketball game. We also rowdy at varsity volleyball, baseball, and soccer!" Mrs. Cloche swept her arms out excitedly, "And we also compete at competitions!"

"And I'm Mrs. Slater." The redhead said, smiling deviously at the girls, "I coach Junior Varsity Spirit Squad! We do less dances, but more pom routines and cheers! We also cheer at every Junior Varsity level game, and rowdy too."

"And I'm Ms. Rowen. I'm one of your three impartial judges! I teach sophomore history, and I used to cheer in high school and college!"

The rest of the introduction flew past Kori, and Karen too, who looked around nervously. The large group immediately began to learn two cheers with poms, and Kori took to it like a natural. They then learned a dance to the song "Fireball" by Pitbull, which Karen liked because of how she could displace her ferocity, in just 5 8 counts.

"J-H-S!" Jenil shouted, finishing with a clap. There were 3 'groups' that were sectioned off to do a high kick. "JAGUARS!" Karen kicked up high, going into finishing position. "ARE THE!" Kori kicked high, finishing with a large smile. "BEST!" Jenil finished the kick, and all of the girls went into finishing position again.

"ALRIGHT. RALLY GIRLS!" Kori smiled widely, waving to the imaginary crowd. Karen did another kick, and Jenil winked at the crowd, shouting "LET'S GO JAGUARS!"

"Alright. We learned the cheers, we learned our 8 counts. You have 25 minutes to practice among yourself, and then we'll start calling groups! Then, we do have to cut some of you. We only have 16 spots for Varsity and 20 for Junior Varsity."

Time passed even faster for the three girls, who mastered both of the cheers and were working on the dance, which required them to "peel off", or perform the same moves at different times.

While Starfire was working hard, Beast Boy was hardly working. Rather, he sat on his bed, feeling like vomiting. He had sent in his online application to join the swim team, and tryouts were the next morning! Why did he do this again?

Beast Boy couldn't even remember when he was once Garfield Logan. He was only a young boy! "If I never became Beast Boy." Beast Boy thought, rolling over on stomach and burying his head in his pillow, "What would Garfield have been like?"

"Cocky." The voice rang out in his head. "Garfield is an extension of who you are, Beast Boy." The voice sounded so similar to his mother's that he frowned, shaking his head. "Garfield can be just like Beast Boy. Goofy, sweet, casual. Self assured."

Beast Boy considered the idea. He jumped out of bed, searching through his pile of laundry. Frowning due to his lack of success, he transformed into a kitten, going under his bed. He searched in the near darkness before spotting his holo ring, grabbing it in his mouth and exiting from the bed. He jumped onto his bed, spat it onto the comforter, and turned back into a human. He slipped on the holo ring that he had already designed, and saw green skin transform to a healthy tan.

His blond hair was shaggy in his eyes, and he walked to his mirror. Garfield's face was different to Beast Boy's, in that Garfield lacked the animal like qualities that Beast Boy had. No fanged teeth, his nose wasn't as flat, and his eyes were less feline. His eyes were more blue than green, and he tried a few facial expressions.

Flirty smile. Normal smile. Frown. Fierce.

"Be more fierce Karen!" Jenil said as Karen went through the dance movements. Kori stood next to Karen, mimicking her movements. The dance finished, and the two girls smiled brightly, "And clean!" They went into finishing position, then began to rally.

"28, 29, 30! You're up." Mrs. Cloche said, and Karen felt herself go lightheaded.

"Oh hell no, Bee! You are going to kill it." She thought, and her lightheadedness began to go away, and she had a confident smile on her face as they began to walk to the smaller gym to the side. There was a table with 3 women, including Mrs. Rowen. They stood in order on the tape x's on the floor in front of the table.

"Hello girls." Mrs. Rowen said, smiling. "These are our other two judges." She motioned to a woman with jet black hair in a bob and a woman with big curly blonde hair.

"I'm Ms. Pinnock. I teach sophomore accelerated algebra, and I was a Jump University Jackal cheerleader for 5 years. I recently graduated so it's all still fresh in my mind." She gave them a smile, then lightly flipped her sleek hair over her shoulder.

"I'm Mrs. Thompson. I teach Foreign Civilizations and Sociology. I was a Steel City Scorpion and I was on their dance team for 5 years also." The blonde woman said, holding her stack of score sheets. "I look forward to what you all can do!"

"Alright." Mrs. Cloche said, holding her clipboard. "Can we please see 3 high kicks from you? I'll tell you when to kick, and after the last one, go into finishing position."

They all spread out just a little more, and prepared to go into kicking position. "Alright, one!" They all kicked once, getting their legs up impressively high in the air.

"Good! Two!" They kicked again, and Kori began to think. "They looked really surprised with the quality of my kicks! Am I truly that good?"

"And three!" They kicked for the last time, immediately going down into finishing. They then began to go into their first cheer.

"Pump, pump, pump it up!" The three said, beginning the clap and stomp moves that were central to the cheer. "LET'S P-U-M-P PUMP IT UP!" They pumped their fists in the air, and ended with their arms in a V shape. "Keep, keep, keep it up!" They again stomped and clapped, switching their feet. "LET'S K-E-E-P KEEP IT UP!" They copied their arm movement from before, ending with smiles.

"Good job girls! Now let's do JHS and the dance."

The rest of the tryout passed so quickly in Kori's mind. She kept her arms straight, smile on, and voice loud. She somehow managed to keep up with Jenil and Karen, and saw impressed looks on all of the judges faces. They finished the dance, and the judges applauded, thanking them for their time.

Kori had wondered what the rest of her team was doing. She knew Raven was . . . well, she didn't know what her team would be doing! She said that she would be visiting Kole, but had told Kole to cover for her, explaining their situation. The rest of the team could be lying, which made something exciting and uneasy rest in Starfire's stomach.

She shook her head out of those thoughts that would only leave her confused. The trio exited the room, sitting next to their bags and beginning to eat. Kori took a bite of her apple while Jenil mixed Crystal Lite into her water bottle. Karen, on the other hand, instead pulled out her phone, pulling up the Campus app and sliding it to the other girls, showing off her schedule.

"So. . . are we friends now?" Karen asked tentatively, and the other two looked at each other, and then Karen again. Kori broke into a wide smile while Jenil snorted, shaking her water bottle.

"I'd love to be your friend, Karen!" Kori said excitedly, pulling out her phone. "Can I have your numbers and the Clapchat?" Karen nodded excitedly and Jenil fished her phone from her bag, laughing a little.

"You're adorable Kori." Jenil said, and put her number into both of their phones. "I want your guys Instabook's too."

Kori smiled. She made hers last night, and had no followers or pictures except her profile. The two looked at her oddly, and Kori laughed nervously before explaining, "My parents didn't let me have social media except Clapchat. My sister. . ." Starfire struggled to think of a name for Blackfire. She knew that Kori Anders was taken from her traditional name of Koriand'r, and that Blackfire was called Komand'r. "Koma was not so responsible."

"Sorry to hear that." Karen said, and Jenil shrugged. "Nothing you can do about it." She flipped through her Instabook feed, and Kori was drawn to jealousy at Jenil's 1200 follower count. She shook her head. Starfire never got jealous, so why did Kori?

"I never use mine anymore." Karen said thoughtfully, and the matter was left at that. The three girls all chatted about family, school, and what they would do when they made the varsity squad.

Tryouts passed quickly, and Kori found herself again in front of the three coaches, sweating nervously. The coaches had the list of names that would be cut, and she felt nausea settle in the pit of her stomach.

"Starfire!" She heard in her mind, and it was scolding. "You faced the Brotherhood of Evil, Slade, and many more villains without breaking a sweat. Why be nervous now?" It said, and Kori couldn't argue with the tiny voice. She straightened her back, leaving her arms casually relaxed.

Mrs. Cloche read down the list, and soon there was only one name left. Kori felt much less worried than she had previously, and then Mrs. Cloche read the last name, a simple "Kenzie Stuart."

Kori had not been cut! Mrs. Cloche thanked everyone that was cut for their time and effort. Finally, she was about to read the list of names of everyone that would make the varsity squad. Karen grabbed her hand, squeezing it, and Jenil simply tapped Kori's foot with hers.

"When I call your name, step forward." Mrs. Cloche said, and flipped to the list. She smiled at the girls as her voice rang clearly. "Marissa Abrantes." A Hispanic girl with two braids stepped forward, smiling. "Kori Anders."

Kori let a wide smile crack her face, feeling complete elation. She stepped forward, standing next to Marissa. "Hannah Baines. Karen Beecher." She saw Karen smile widely too, standing right next to her. "Lillie Elias. Alyssa Gallagos. Eliza Gallagos. Gea Harbst. Nikki Katou. Jenil Lakhani. . ." She continued to read off names and Kori laughed with Karen and Jenil, beginning to feel like this was a dream.

"Kaitlan Walker. Maria Ybarra. Congratulations girls!" Mrs. Cloche said, and motioned with her hand up to follow her. "Congratulations to all of you other girls! We're excited to have a family of such kind and beautiful students!" Everyone cheered and clapped, congratulating each other.

The varsity squad followed Mrs. Cloche, laughing and pushing. Kori smiled as she saw Karen and Jenil talking to a short blonde, and found herself next to a gorgeous Asian.

"Hi! I'm Kori."

"Jade." The girl offered, side-eyeing Kori through black eyes rimmed thickly with eyelashes and eyeliner. "Jade Ngyuen."


	4. Meetings

The Teen Titans sat at their dinner table, with the addition of Kid Flash. They had a large pan in the center of the table, with little bowls strewn about.

"This stirfry is amazing, Cy." Beast Boy said, chowing happily on the vegetable dish and clicking his chopsticks.

"It really is." Raven offered, sipping the pungent green tea she made to go along with the meal. The Titans ate and chatted with each other, with Beast Boy sharing the most jokes and laughs.

"Beast Boy, you seem to be in the most wonderful mood." Starfire happily remarked, smiling at the young teen that she considered her brother. "May you share why?"

"It's an uh- school thing." He said bashfully. "I can't even tell you guys." He frowned inwardly at how he couldn't even share his hallmark achievement, making swim team and another group of friends his age, with what was practically his family.

"Awh, give us a hint." Kid Flash said, on his fourth plate of stir fry. He reached for the bowl containing the chicken and peppers, and pointed his chopsticks. "Don't tell us what you did, just how you did it."

Robin nodded alongside Kid Flash, patting Beast Boy on the back. Beast Boy saw all of the expectant faces, and the pride hiding behind Starfire and Cyborg's eyes, and went for it.

"I made the team that I wanted. Varsity level." Beast Boy said, and everyone smiled at him, with Starfire reaching to hug him. Raven gave Beast Boy a small smile, but still looked proud of him.

"Good job!"

"That's great BB."

"Didn't know you had it in you, string bean."

"I am the most proud of you, Beast Boy!"

"Good for you."

Beast Boy smiled widely, a blush rising on his cheeks. "It's not a super big deal."

"You can insist all you want, but that's a big deal to me." Cyborg said, looking like a proud older brother. "Really, you're a sophomore that made a varsity team? How do you do it."

"I was just good at what I tried out in."

"What are there even tryouts for right now?" Raven asked quizzically. "School starts in a week, won't everyone just … suck?"

"There's practices all day, Rae."

"The tryouts are for the spirit thing-" Starfire flinched slightly, but sighed a breath of relief that no one saw her. "Volleyball, football, soccer, and swim team."

"Football must be a killer." Beast Boy observed, tapping his chopsticks on the bowl of kimchi. Raven pushed it towards him, and he gave her a soft smile. "Isn't their athletic program, especially football, one of the highest rated in the area?"

Cyborg winced as he thought of the practice they had that day. Despite being the first day, the coaches pushed the boys to their very limit, and almost immediately cut over 20 boys.

"Victor!" The redheaded boy said, standing next to a boy with stark raven hair and a scowl. "Nice meeting ya. Hey, congrats on having Coach Boris call out how good you are. I didn't think he had a nice bone in his body!"

"Thanks, Wally. It was nice meeting you and Dick." The two boys sniggered while Richard rolled his eyes, flipping them off. "I'm surprised we made it through cuts. All we have left is tomorrow and then we'll know."

"You're definitely going to be Quarterback." Richard said, as the trio walked to the locker room. The three boys were met with smiles, jeers, and whoops. Robin felt his stomach clench in excitement. Only a five hour practice, and he was already well liked by all of the boys. He looked over at Wally, who blew kisses to the boys.

"Ah, I love my fans." Wally said, and two blond boys laughed, giving him shoves. Richard laughed alongside Victor.

"Hey, did you guys see those Spirit Squad girls?" Wally asked, popping open the locker that was temporarily his for the tryouts. The other two boys nodded, and Wally held his hands over his heart. "That beautiful Indian girl… what did they call her? Jeni? I swoon."

"She was okay." Richard said, quickly changing from his plain grey t-shirt to a more stylish black one. Victor sucked in a breath, pointing at Richard.

"She was fine! Do you not have eyes?" Victor asked, tying his shoes. He switched from his black shorts and white shirt to a pair of khaki shorts and a dark blue t-shirt. Wally wore practically the same thing, only with an orange shirt.

"I thought blondie was much cuter. Kori, wasn't it?" Richard thought of the girl, with her long cascading blonde locks, bright green eyes, and multiple freckles. They would officially meet tomorrow, if he even made the team.

Cyborg was shaken out of his thoughts by Robin speaking. "Well, the Jump District starts two weeks earlier than other schools, so our tryouts are at the same time. We have the same amount of practice, but our school starts earlier."

The team then settled into light conversation, talking about the impending doom of school, and then talking about how Kid Flash balanced being a hero and a good student.

"Well, I kinda look at it like this. Being a hero is my job, and being a student is my duty. I choose to be a hero, but I need to go to school. Having powers doesn't make me the most amazing person on Earth." Kid said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "It certainly makes me one of them-" Robin groaned, rolling his eyes. "Being a hero makes my school life easier."

"So being a hero makes it easier to go to school?" Beast Boy asked confusedly, and Starfire nodded along with him, and Kid Flash shrugged.

"Well, yeah! Because I want to be well rounded." Kid Flash explained further, and his mind fluttered over to Jinx. Was it right for him to say his Jinx? He didn't see her most nights anymore; but always left her a rose where he'd know she'd see it. He even spray painted on the side of a convenience store he saw her by one time!

Was it wrong to be possessive over her? Is this healthy? He continued to think about her, her soft pink hair and piercing gaze. She was so intense- so dark. It intrigued him. He resolved that he'd get at least one kiss from her tonight if he saw her, and that she would immediately fall into his arms and into the Teen Titans.

After dinner, the teens all separated, with Starfire chatting Raven's ear off, Beast Boy headed to the couch with Cyborg, and Kid Flash and Robin went to the training rooms.

"Can you just imagine those cheerleaders we'll see?" Robin said, an edge in his voice that Kid Flash had never heard before. Excitement. Not out of the thrill of the chase with villains, or a new gadget, but genuinely happy excitement.

"I'm going to go for the Indian girl. There's absolutely no way she wouldn't fall for my charms." Kid Flash said confidently, flexing and kissing his muscles.

"I don't think I want to limit myself just yet." Robin said, smirking. "I don't think I'd date any of them though… Flirting wouldn't kill me."

"Because you're saving yourself for Starfire?" Kid Flash asked, and Robin began to splutter, coughing to hide his blush. Kid Flash laughed, clapping Robin on the back.

"You're crazy." Was all Robin could force out of his mouth before they entered the training room.

Meanwhile, Raven was in her room, examining herself in the mirror. Rather than a holo-ring, she had chosen to instead use a spell to make her alternate identity.

Starfire had left, stating that she had to practice her cover stories, but assured Raven that she would be back within the hour.

All the more time to create her persona.

Her hair was now pitch black, ending just at her shoulders. She had dark blue eyes, and her skin was still pale, but peachy. She had given herself bangs, feathered, to change her face shape.

She looked normal.

Well, almost normal. Like one of the goth, alternative girls. Isn't that what most of her fans looked like? It was good, and Raven really liked the look of the bangs.

She went through her closet, not frantically, but with thoughtfulness. She didn't really care if anyone liked what she wore, but she was taking her school photo on the first day, and she wanted a fresh start.

She decided on a pair of black, ripped jeans, and she would wear combat boots. She looked through her closet, still looking for a tee. Some were too fancy, some were too casual. She searched until she found a bag from her shopping trip with Starfire and the boys.

"Hm." She had forgotten what was in the bag, and considering that she had put everything else away, she must have forgotten about it.

She unraveled the bag, and pulled out a piece of indigo cloth. "Oh." Raven blushed heavily. It was a cami that Starfire had chosen on a whim, due to the color, and Raven blushed even before she had it on!

It had a corset's lace up in the front, and it was cropped, ending just above her belly button. The lacings of the cami tied at the bottom, and the neckline had scalloped lace.

It was pretty, she would admit, but even as she tried it on, the blush stayed on her face. The outfit was cute, she thought, looking in the mirror.

"Rachel…" She said, doing a small spin. "Rachel can pull this off." She had decided that Rachel would be a little more outgoing. She thought for a few seconds. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

In the mirror, Rachel had gained a few moles on her neck and chest. In the mirror, Rachel grinned back at Raven.

And Raven smiled back.

"Girl, you need to smile more." Karen said jokingly to Jenil, who threw her pom-poms on the ground in frustration. Kori stretched the fabric of her first costume's skirt down.

"Shut up." Jenil said, though not angrily. She scrunched her nose up in the mirror, examining the costume. "It's not working for me."

The top was a tank top, with a white, wide band across the middle. The entire thing was a solid black, and there was a triangle of gold that went from the middle up to the neckline. The skirt was solid black, with white and gold trim. On the triangle, the words JHS were emblazoned.

"Yes it is. Pull the top down a little." Karen adjusted the costume for her, zipping the skirt up higher and smoothing out the wrinkles. "See?"

Jenil stuck out her leg, testing the flexibility of the fabric. "It does look better. It looks good on you, Kori." Kori smiled nervously, her hands quickly braiding her hair back for practice.

The chatter in the locker room was reaching a peak. With the arrival of 3 costumes, and that they would be voting for squad captains later on, made the room electric.

"My favorite is the winter costume." Kori said, looking at the white, long sleeve ensemble. Unlike the spring/fall costume, it was one white solid piece, with JHS on the front in gold, outlined in black.

"I like the show costume." Karen said, and held up the show costume for competitions and showcases. It was black, and two pieces, with a long sleeve top and skirt. It had the same logo as the other two, and had the jaguar mascot on it too.

"Girls!" Coach Cloche said, peeking her head in through the door. "Put on fall costume and let's go! Gold bows today!" The trio rushed with the other girls, zipping up skirts and putting hair up.

They entered the field where there was a circle of boys, with Coach Boris and Coach Carnie in center. They whooped, hollered, and began doing the stomp chant.

"Guess that's the final team." Karen remarked, standing on the tips of her white shoes to stare at the group. "Any of them cute?"

"Can't tell from here." Jenil shaded her eyes from the sun, staring at them. Kori blushed, leaning to see. The boys finally turned around, looking at all of them, and the trio quickly turned and walked faster, giggling.

"So embarassing!" Kori said, sweeping her braid behind her head. Karen laughed, adjusting the bow in her puff.

"I know." Jenil said, head in her hands. Karen laughed even harder, pulling the two girls in. They all smiled, then rushed to meet with the group of girls.

"Alright!" Coach Cloche said, signalling for the girls to sit. "Sooooo…" She dragged on her words, smiling at the large group, holding a small envelope. "We have our nominees for Senior Captain! Junior Co-Captain, and Sophomore Rep!"

The girls all cheered, holding hands and laughing.

"Our Senior Captain nominees are- Hannah Baines and Jade Nguyen! Come on up girls." The two girls went up, Hannah smiling and Jade with a serene look on her face.

"Alright girls! You all voted… and majority is…" Everyone leaned forward, excited. "Jade! Congratulations." Mrs. Cloche hugged Jade as the team cheered. Hannah hugged Jade, and the two laughed. Jade stayed up while Hannah went to sit down, and cleared her throat.

"Thanks for voting for me. I'll make this our best year ever! Senior Captain does sweaters, shirts, all of our personal stuff, and I have so many good ideas." Jade smiled, and Jenil cocked her head as she stared. The smile looked very genuine… but Jenil couldn't put her finger on what rubbed her wrong.

She shook her head out of thought as Mrs. Cloche announced the junior candidates.

"And we have Eliza Gallagos, Karen Beecher, and Jenil Lakhani! Come on up girls!" Karen looked excitedly at Jenil while they went up, and all three of the girls held hands.

"And our Co-Captain is… Jenil!" Jenil stared at all of the girls, who smiled widely. Eliza and Karen hugged her, and she almost teared up. She could almost pretend that this was always her life, as her team cheered and congratulated her.

That she was Jenil Lakhani, now Junior Co-Captain and popular. That she was born like this, not a carefully crafted and forged facade.

"Thank you!" Jenil said loudly, looking at all of the girls. "I- I don't know what else to say! This team… this team brings out the best in me, and I'm excited to bring out the best as Co-Captain. Thank you guys so much."

The rest of the nominations went well, and Kori was deep in a whisper conversation with Karen and Jenil until she heard that voice.

"Thanks guys! I think we knew I was the best for this job! We're going to be the best team ever, all because of me!" The blonde girl at the front said, and Kori almost threw up.

Kitten! She would have to tell Robin.

But for now, she had to smile and clap. The team then got up, with Jenil and Kitten leading stretches while Mrs. Cloche and Jade went to discuss clothing ideas.

"I do not like that girl." Karen said, stretching down into her split. Kori nodded, staring at Kitten with inquisitive eyes.

"She seems very.. bossy."

"Jeni is too." Karen remarked.

Time passed between stretching, and Coach Cloche and Jade came back, breaking into 3 groups to practice the halftime dance and kickline. Coach Cloche led group 1, then Jade with group 2 and Jenil with group 3.

"No!" Jenil said, sighing. Neither Karen or Kori were in her group, and she felt herself slowly getting agitated. "Guys! Come on. I'm not trying to be rude, but it's a lot easier than you're making it." 5 faces stared back at her, and she took a deep breath.

Jenil felt herself get angrier, so she shook her head. "Okay. 5 minute water break." She said through gritted teeth, and walked towards the bleachers, where Karen and Kori already were.

"Those freshman giving you a hard time?" Karen asked, opening her water bottle and taking a deep sip before passing it off to Kori.

"Yes! It's like they don't understand the rhythm of the music." She said, dramatically falling to the ground. Kori laughed, moving her feet to rest on Jenil's face. Jenil scrunched up her face, batting Kori's legs away. "Not funny, Kori."

"Super funny, Jeni." She retorted, tossing a granola bar on the Indian girl. Karen nodded in agreement, and the trio settled into easy conversation.

"Want to get coffee after this?" Kori asked, and Karen frowned, shaking her head.

"I have a hair appointment. I'm getting braids put in."

"Cute." Jenil said, rolling over to sit up. Kori suddenly sat up straighter, and three shadows towered over the girls.

"Hi there." A redheaded boy said, smiling at Jenil and thrusting his hand in his face. "I'm Wally. Wally West." She pushed his hand away.

"Who the hell are you?" She let slip from her mouth, and the two boys next to him looked thoroughly embarassed.

"It's actually Wallace." The raven headed boy next to him said, raising his eyebrows. Upon seeing the girls looking at them strangely, he groaned. "We're part of the final football team. We kinda have to … meet you guys and Coach wants us to watch one of your routines."

"Oh." Kori said, and the boy looked at her in shock. He was in awe at her, her tan skin and freckles, her soft accent and her big green eyes. "I'm Kori Anders."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Richard, this is Wally, and Victor." He said, and Karen smiled at them, standing up and dusting off her uniform. Victor smiled at her, and Karen held out her hand.

"Karen Beecher. That's Jenil Lakhani. I think she's a little starstruck that a guy like Wally is looking at her." She teased, pointing at the pair who were still staring at each other. Kori giggled, and even Dick had to laugh.

"Jenil." Wally tested, and held his hand out again, helping her up. She blushed, quickly standing up and dusting her uniform like Karen.

"Jenil. Jenil from the mall." Wally thought, feeling more and more nervous near her. He tuned out the rest of the group and their conversation, staring at her in as much of a non-creepy way as he could.

A 7th person entered the group, and Wally felt Dick clenching his fists. They both knew it was Adonis, only as a civilian. So his hair was lighter and he was buffer, but he still had the same voice and annoying ego.

Adonis Lykaois. He immediately began flirting with the three girls. Jenil simply crossed her arms and turned away, Kori blushed, and Karen rolled her eyes and continued her conversation with Victor.

"So.. Jenil. I bet I could lift you over my shoulders." Adonis said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She scowled, pushing him away.

"Hell no. You'll drop me on my head." She said sourly, and Kori frowned at her. Kori whispered something in her ear, and Jenil shook her head. Karen looked at the duo in worry, and Wally took a step forward, putting himself between Adonis and Jenil while still looking like he was trying to talk to Karen.

"Look, Coach is calling us over." Karen said, grabbing the two girls by their upper arms. Kori gave them a bright smile, and he saw Dick's face light up. The cheerleaders walked away, and the boys made their way to the stands.

"Dibs." Adonis said, smirking wolfishly at the other boys.

"On who?" Dick said, raising his eyebrows. "Because I already talked to Kori, and-"

"Jenil, stupid." He said, staring at her while the girls took their place on the field to perform. "She was soooo into me. Trust me, girls like her love playing hard to get."

"Uh huh." Wally said, nodding his head sarcastically. "Yeah, those looks she was throwing you were definitely looks of adoration, not her attempts at laser vision."

Victor laughed, clapping Wally on the back. "Good one, hot head." Wally spluttered at the nickname, while Dick laughed.

Adonis, however, looked angrily at Wally. Wally gave him a bright smile back.

"Two can play at that game, asshole."


End file.
